Banned Books

So, with the Freedom to Read Week (www.freedomtoread.ca) coming quickly to Canada, (February 20-26, 2011), I figured it might be a good idea to look at some of the most challenged books within the past two decades. Fair enough, I took these from the ALA site, but they at least give a really good idea of what concerns the population of the United States. The lists for Canada are here: http://www.freedomtoread.ca/censorship_in_canada/challenged_books.asp However, what I am going to do is bold all of the "challenged/banned" books that I have read over the years. I haven't turned out bad, even for not having had these books censored. I'll post a Classics version of this later in the week. I challenge any blog readers to do the same and to put the link to the post in my comments.  

There is a bit more of a note after the lists.

100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999

1. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
7. Forever, by Judy Blume
8. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
9. Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
10. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
11. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
12. My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
14. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
15. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
16. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Sex, by Madonna
19. Earth’s Children (series), by Jean M. Auel
20. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
21. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
22. The Witches, by Roald Dahl
23. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
24. The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
25. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
26. The Goats, by Brock Cole
27. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
28. Anastasia Krupnik (series), by Lois Lowry
29. Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
30. Blubber, by Judy Blume
31. Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
32. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
33. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
34. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
35. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
36. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
37. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
38. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
39. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
40. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
41. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
42. Deenie, by Judy Blume
43. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
44. Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden
45. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
46. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
48. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
49. Cujo, by Stephen King
50. James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
51. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
52. Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
53. American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
54. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)*** Reading
56. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
58. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
59. The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
61. Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
62. Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
63. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
64. Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
65. Fade, by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What?, by Mem Fox
67. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
68. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
69. Native Son, by Richard Wright
70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
71. Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
72. On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
73. The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
74. Jack, by A.M. Homes
75. Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
76. Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
77. Mommy Laid an Egg, by Babette Cole
78. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
79. Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
80. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
81. Carrie, by Stephen King
82. The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
84. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
85. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
86. Private Parts, by Howard Stern
87. Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
88. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
89. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
90. Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
94. Jumper, by Steven Gould
95. Christine, by Stephen King
96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene
97. That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
98. Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
99. The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
100. Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

 From: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/1990_1999/index.cfm

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling 
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier 
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell 
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck 
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou 
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz 
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman 9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren 
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky 
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers 
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris 
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey 
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain 
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison 
16. Forever, by Judy Blume 
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker 18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous 
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger 
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan 
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee 
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar 
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry 
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak 
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan 
26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison 27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier 
28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson 29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney 
30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier 
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones 
32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya 
33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson 
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler 
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison 36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley 
37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris 
38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles 
39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane 
40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank 
41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher 
42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi 
43. Blubber, by Judy Blume 
44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher 
45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly 
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut 
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard 
48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez 
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey 
50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini 
51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan 
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson 
53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco 
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole 
55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green 
56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester 
57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause 
58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going 
59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes 
60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson 61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle 
62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard 
63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney 
64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park 
65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien 
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor 
67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham 
68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez 
69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury 70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen 
71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park 
72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison 
73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras 
74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold 
75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry 76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving 
77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert 
78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein 
79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss 
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck 
81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright 
82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill 
83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds 
84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins 
85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher 
86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick 
87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume 
88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood 
89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger 

90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle 

91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George 

92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar 
93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard 
94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine 
95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix 

96. Grendel, by John Gardner 
97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende 
98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte 
99. Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume 
100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank

From: http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm

There are a couple of things I find interesting with these lists. First off, how many of the names repeat, but simply ebb and rise through the lists; this has to be an indication of how public concerns changed in the last twenty years...Or perhaps how much the challenging of these books has actually effected their placement.

Now, I'm an English major. And there are a few titles on here that I can understand why someone might challenge them. At other times, however, I know that I've read worse that are considered to be our "Classical" literature and are part of the standard canon.

None of these books are outright harmful to anyone...It's just how they are received and interpreted by certain people. That is the beauty of literature, too; it is subjective. What is controversial for one person will likely not be for another. 

I hope others take interest in this, and please do tell me if you take up the challenge!

ManiacScribbler =^..^=